Depolarizing Within

Are you concerned about how polarized our country has become and how difficult it is to have civil conversations about the many issues that are dividing us? Braver Angels is presenting a workshop on “Depolarizing Within” to organizations throughout the 50 states. It is an organization that was formed at time of the 2016 election and is dedicated to understanding the other side’s point of view, even if you don’t agree with it. Braver Angels pledges to engage those with whom we disagree, looking for common ground and ways to work together. It supports principles that bring us together rather than divide us.

The “Depolarizing Within” workshop fosters skills to help us to lessen the effects of polarization when we encounter them in political conversations. We’ll learn how to be more aware of our own “inner polarizer” and how to be critical without demonizing, dismissing or stereotyping large swaths of the population. And we’ll learn strategies for intervening constructively in social conversation. We hope you can join us.

Our moderator will be Cameron Swallow, the Blue co-coordinator for Braver Angels in the state of Wisconsin. She has been moderating Braver Angels workshops since 2018 and is currently working with the Music and Arts committee for the national organization. She is from Tennessee originally and moved to Kenosha in 2017 when her husband became president of Carthage College. She teaches middle schoolers in an after-school program, serves on several local volunteer boards, and plays with the bluegrass band Flat Creek Highway.

This free, virtual workshop is only for LWVDC members. Braver Angels is handling the registration through eventbrite. Participation is free; donations to Braver Angels are completely optional.

The League of Women Voters of Dane County is fully committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in principle and in practice. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to the organization’s current and future success in engaging all individuals, households, communities, and policymakers in creating a more perfect democracy.

The League believes in and will continue to fight for equal rights for every person. This includes gender equality, marriage equality, and LGBTQIA+ equality in all areas, from education and the workplace to legal protections and benefits for same-gender couples.